كتير
kiteer
In Egyptian Arabic, 'a lot' is كتير (kiteer).
كتير follows a noun or a verb, used exactly where English puts 'a lot' or 'a lot of', as in ناس كتير, 'a lot of people', or بحبك كتير, 'I love you a lot'.
Meaning: a large amount or degree (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word comes from the same root as Standard Arabic كثير, just with the Egyptian sound shift from th to t.
Which one should you use?
كتير works for both countable amounts, 'a lot of people', and intensity, 'thank you a lot', unlike English which sometimes needs different words.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
It is used in every register, from casual chat to the news.
Is it said differently in some regions?
This pronunciation with t instead of th is shared by Egyptian Arabic and several neighbouring dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
كتير does not change for gender or number, it stays the same whether describing one thing or many.
How do you pronounce it?
Said 'ki-TEER', with a long stressed ee at the end.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Saying كثير with the th sound is understood but will mark your speech as Standard Arabic rather than Egyptian.
Did you know?
- Egyptian Arabic's shift from th to t, as in كثير becoming كتير, affects a whole class of words and is one of the dialect's clearest sound markers.
Examples in context
- في ناس كتير في المحطة.fi nas kiteer fi el-mahatta.There are a lot of people at the station.
- شكرا كتير على المساعدة.shukran kiteer ala el-musa ada.Thank you a lot for the help.
- بيحب القهوة كتير.beyeheb el-ahwa kiteer.He likes coffee a lot.
Example conversation
Amira tells her friend Karim about the crowd at a concert.
- Amiraكان فيه ناس كتير جدا إمبارح.kaan fih nas kiteer giddan embareh.There were a whole lot of people yesterday.
- Karimأكتر من الحفلة اللي فاتت؟aktar min el-hafla elli fatet?More than the last concert?
- Amiraأكتر بكتير، كان صعب نلاقي مكان.aktar bikiteer, kaan sa b nelaa i makan.A lot more, it was hard to find a spot.
- Karimطب استمتعتي كتير على الأقل.tab estamati kiteer ala el-a all.Well, at least you enjoyed it a lot.
